Journal of Comprehensible Results

Buprenorphine is currently used in maintenance treatment for pregnant opioid addicts; this not only affects the mother but has implications for the fetus as well. Oligodendrocytes, cells that produce myelin, express opioid receptors so perinatal exposure to buprenorphine could affect myelination in offspring. Myelin basic proteins (MBP) and myelin-associated glycoproteins (MAG) are major constituents of myelin. This article investigated how buprenorphine affects myelination in the developing brain by impacting the levels of the different components of myelin as well as the impact on the glycosylation of MAG and its interaction with the kinase Fyn which may play a role in regulating myelin production.